Meet the New Construction Management Faculty

September 15, 2011

Lana Coble

Lana Coble joins the Construction Management Program as Associate
Professor and Assistant Program Manager.
Professor Coble has enjoyed more than 30 years of industrial experience
in construction management, working for both facility owners and
contractors. She has served in key roles for major projects including a
25-story hospital in the Texas Medical Center, data centers, retail
space, public sporting facilities, higher education, infrastructure
systems, and the implosion and demolition of tall buildings. Lana's
projects have totaled approximately $900 million, covering 12.3 million
square feet of usable facilities. She has served as an adjunct faculty
member in the Construction Management Program at UH for several years.

Coble is a consultant to both private and public organizations, who
have benefited from her expertise in training and education,
implementation of software systems, development of document management
systems, and planning mitigation for high profile projects.
Complementary to her practical experience, Professor Coble earned her
M.S. in Architecture from Texas A&M University and a B.A. in Design
and Construction from Trinity University.

Professor Coble is a Certified Professional Constructor (CPC) as well
as a Certified Trainer for Primavera and Microsoft Project. She is an
active advocate for community programs, women's development in the
construction industry, and mentor of her staff and students. As a native
Houstonian, Ms. Coble's enthusiasm and passion for her profession and
education have touched many in the Greater Houston area.

Dr. Lu Gao

Dr. Lu Gao joins the faculty as a new assistant professor in the
Construction Management. Dr. Lu Gao earned his Ph.D. and M.S. in Civil
Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. He earned a B.E. in
Civil Engineering from Tsinghua University, China in 2005. He spent
time as an exchange student in Civil Engineering at Nanyang
Technological University, Singapore.
Dr. Gao's professional experience includes serving in roles as research
and teaching assistant at The University of Texas at Austin, and as a
reviewer for three journals: Journal of Infrastructure Systems,
Structure and Infrastructure Engineering, and the Journal of Computing
in Civil Engineering.

He was awarded the Road Scholar Fellowship, 2011 by the International
Road Federation. In addition, he earned the Best Paper Award, 2010 at
the 6th Annual Inter-University Symposium on Infrastructure Management
(AISIM6).
Dr. Gao's research interests are risk management, transportation system
analysis, data mining and information technologies, and optimization and
statistics.

Daniel Tesfai

Daniel Tesfai, Instructional Associate Professor, brings more than 20
years of industry experience in Construction Material Testing to the
Construction Management Program. Specializing in lab and field testing
of soils, concrete, and asphalt, Tesfai is extensively experienced as a
senior project manager. He has played integral roles in a variety of
city and government projects such as the Federal Inspection Service
Building at Bush Intercontinental Airport, the Continental Airlines
Cargo facility, the City of Houston Public Works Department, METRO Light
Rail, and the Harris County Toll Road Authority. Currently, his
consulting firm, TSI Laboratories, conducts construction materials
testing projects, performs materials engineering investigations, and
evaluates foundation design and construction for various structures.
Prior experience includes project management positions at Terracon
Consultants, Inc. and Stork Southwestern Laboratories, Inc.; and as a
geotechnical engineer for Aviles Engineering and Professional Services,
Inc.